Karen Knowler * The Raw Food Coach

The Bigger Picture: “I’ve Gone Raw – Now What?”

So you’ve “gone raw”.

You’ve transformed your kitchen, your menu and your life.

You’re feeling lighter, stronger and more energetic than ever and you’re enjoying exploring and experimenting with a range of exciting options for your diet and your lifestyle.

You’re learning from experience that this journey is about more than food, it’s about transformation on every level, and you’re excited about the next step on the path.

What next? Well, you can…

WINTER GREENS AND AVOCADO SALAD

The following recipe is a twist on one of my all-time favourite recipes, Kale and Avocado Salad.

This version, tweaked a little, makes for a great main course: it is just as green but overall lighter on the body, although just as delicious. Your cells will sing!

 

SERVES: One large portion 

 

EQUIPMENT

A good sharp knife

 

INGREDIENTS

4-6 large handfuls of kale sliced very thinly
1 handful of each of the following: rocket (arugula), watercress and spinach. (If you don't have all three greens just add in three handfuls of whatever you do have.)
1 avocado
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Himalayan Crystal Salt OR Celtic Sea Salt
6 baby tomatoes
10 sun-dried tomatoes
Juice of half a juicy lemon or 1 not-so-juicy lemon
OPTIONAL: Olives

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop kale into small pieces (this makes the fibrous cells break down and therefore more palatable, so the smaller you chop you better the taste). A good size to aim for is roughly 1-2 cm squares.
2. Add oil and salt and massage into the kale until kale becomes wilted, soft and glistening.
3. Roughly chop the other greens (rocket, watercress, spinach) and add into the bowl. Mix well by hand.
4. Add avocado and massage again so each leaf is coated.
5. Chop tomatoes into quarters, add to greens.
6. Chop sun-dried tomatoes in small pieces and add to greens.
7. Squeeze lemon over entire dish
8. Add any other ingredients you fancy, depending on how hungry you are.
9. Serve and enjoy!

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• Lemon can make or break this recipe (not enough leaves the meal slightly too bitter for some people's tastes), so definitely taste-test on this one.
• Grated raw veggies, fresh herbs, finely chopped nuts, a sprinkling of seeds - all of these can transform this recipe, making for unlimited delicious variations.

 

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

Getting the Most From Your Menu

So you’ve taken the initial plunge and begun to incorporate more fresh, ripe, organic living foods into your diet. You’ve dipped your toe in the water, had a taste of what’s possible and are seeing the benefits – and you’re ready to move on to the next level. Here are some suggestions to find a way of eating that really works for you, your body and your lifestyle:

Create a menu plan that takes into account your lifestyle, your food preferences and your budget. Start simply and aim to have 75% of your diet as fresh, ripe, raw and organic fruits and vegetables, with as much green food as possible.

Consider having a blood test done to identify any areas that you could or should improve on nutritionally. When you have this information you can consciously work with this by adding certain foods or supplements into your diet so that you can meet your needs appropriately.

THE IMMUNE BOOSTER

If you're feeling a bit cold-y or 'flu-y then here's a boost that tastes great and will perk you up instantly. Goji berries are packed full of vitamin C as are oranges, and this recipe combines the fresh and juicy with the super-sweet super-food that is the vitamin-packed goji berry. A really cute and super-fast drink that you don't need to feel below par to enjoy!

 

EQUIPMENT

Blender, Juicer

 

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup goji berries (dried)
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Simply blend both ingredients together until it is smooth and thick and creamy.

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

Feel free to use this as a base for creating any number of extra-ordinarily juicy drinks!

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

The Raw Fooder’s Guide to Indoor Greens part 3: How to Grow Your Own

A tray of bright, fresh indoor greens look stunning on a kitchen counter top, is packed full of nutrition and is easy and fun to grow. Here is my quick guide to growing successful greens.

What do I need to grow indoor greens?

You can buy an automatic sprouter or a wheatgrass kit if you choose to, but you don’t need expensive equipment to grow your own greens. You can start with basic sprouting equipment (a container to sprout in and something to drain the water through), a seedling tray and some good quality soil or compost.

MARINATED VEGGIES

Salads are great - a lot of the time. But sometimes, we want something a little more substantial. Chowing down a plate of raw vegetables isn't the most appealing proposition for anyone, even a dedicated raw food type, but take a few choice veggies, marinate them in oil and an "acid" ingredient, add a few herbs and maybe some additional seasonings, and you have a very fine main meal accompaniment, a base for a quick snack or just something yummy to nibble on from the fridge!

This recipe is one of my personal favourites because I love something to get my teeth into that isn't nuts or seeds, but that also gets lots of veggies into me without having to get the juicer out. Enjoy.

 

SERVES: 2-4

 

INGREDIENTS
3 large tomatoes
2 courgettes (zucchini)
2 leeks
1 large head of broccoli
(Optional) 1 red/ yellow bell pepper
Olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons or 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
(Optional) Dried or fresh herbs

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice tomatoes, courgettes and leeks into rings measuring approx. 1/2 cm thick
2. Prepare broccoli so that you have lots of small florets of broccoli; dispose of the thick stalk (compost or use in a juice)
3. Add in any additional sliced/chopped vegetables that take your fancy.
4. Put all the prepared vegetables into a large bowl and then pour on your olive oil. (There is no set measurement; I usually move the bottle backwards and forwards above the vegetables allowing the oil to fall on them until they look fairly well covered, then toss to gauge how well they actually are covered.) Stop when they look shiny with oil all over.
5. Add the lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Toss well.
6. Allow the mixture to stand for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
7. Finally, before serving, add in some finely chopped fresh herbs or dried herbs of your choice. (I use Italian dried herbs or fresh parsley).

  

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• This recipe can be served as a side dish or a main meal option. For a main meal serve with diced avocado, or guacamole, or coat with a delicious nut topping to make the meal much more satisfying.
• Spice things up with curry powder if you'd like something a little different.

 

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

The Raw Fooder’s Guide to Indoor Greens Part 2: Varieties of Greens

Growing indoor greens is a super-cheap, highly nutritious and fun way of bringing the freshest green plants into your diet. They are high in chlorophyll, which is evident from their lush green appearance, and, like sprouts, are among the most live foods you can eat. Here is my quick guide to the various types of greens you can grow.

Wheatgrass (includes spelt grass, kamut grass and barley grass)

Wheatgrass is now a relatively well-known health tonic sold in juice bars worldwide. It is simply grass which has been grown from wheat grains (or wheat berries as they are also known) and then juiced in a wheatgrass-friendly juicer.

There are many health benefits associated with wheatgrass, ranging from a general pick-me-up to part of treatment programmes for cancer and other “incurable” diseases in health institutes worldwide. It’s powerful stuff.

DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE WITH ALMOND MILK

This recipe was first introduced to me by my good friend and colleague Elaine Bruce. It was many years ago now, and she served it to me one morning after I'd fasted for most of the previous day having been a bit out of sorts. When she gave me this I was positively ravenous, and I have to say, when she served this to me I thought I had died and gone to heaven! 

I've chosen this particular recipe for this week because it's a nice "comforting" breakfast that's not too heavy but not as light as fresh fruit or a smoothie - i.e. perfect for autumn and slightly more chilly starts to the day.  

EQUIPMENT

Blender, Nut milk bag or Strainer

INGREDIENTS

Assorted dried fruits such as figs, prunes, apricots and apple rings - but make sure they're all sulphur-free

As much almond milk as desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-soak your dried fruits in pure water until plump and rehydrated. This could take anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on the size and how dried your fruits are.
2. When your dried fruits are ready, make your almond milk (it will take just 1 minute if using almond butter, and just 3 minutes if starting from scratch).
3. Simply spoon your soaked (and drained) dried fruits into a large bowl and then pour on the almond milk for a deliciously filling and satisfying breakfast. Truly yummy!

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• Don't limit yourself in what you could add to this dish. Try topping with cinnamon powder, coconut flakes or ground nuts and seeds. Or try the recipe with a different nut milk. Or keep things really simple and just use one type of dried fruit - it doesn't have to be mixed.

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

The Raw Fooder’s Guide to Indoor Greens Part 1: What and Why

Growing indoor greens is a fun and nutritious way to bring the freshest green plants into your life. Here is a quick introduction to growing your own wheatgrass, sunflower seeds, pea greens, buckwheat greens and more. 

What are indoor greens? 

“Indoor greens” is the term typically used to describe wheatgrass, barley grass, spelt grass, kamut grass, sunflower greens, buckwheat “lettuce” and pea greens – all of which can be grown in your own home. They can be grown in trays or automatic sprouters, and can be grown in soil or hydroponically.

Why grow indoor greens?

KAREN'S STRAWBERRY PUDDING THICKSHAKE

This recipe was inspired by a truly delicious drink that I had in Atlanta, I came home eager to replicate as best as I could - I'm not quite there yet but this is a great start!

 

EQUIPMENT

Blender

 

INGREDIENTS

Flesh of 1 young coconut (or small tin of coconut cream)
6 medium sized strawberries
1 medium ripe mango
1" piece of vanilla pod
Water from young coconut (or pure water if using coconut cream)

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Simply blend all ingredients thoroughly until a thick but bit-free consistency is achieved.
2. Pour into a tall glass, add ice if preferred and enjoy

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• Use frozen fruit if you prefer a much cooler drink or add ice instead of water in the original blend. If the drink is too thick for you, simply add more water until it's the way you like it!

 

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.